Wilted Kale with Orange & Ginger (paleo)

A dear friend of mine invited us over to her place yesterday for a lovely day-after-Thanksgiving get together.  Nikhil and Felix are good buddies with her two girls, so it turned out to be a fun playdate for the kids, and a relaxing afternoon for us adults. I had bought kale at the farmers market on Tuesday knowing that I wanted to make a hearty green salad for Friday's meal, but I was undecided about the specifics.  This warm, citrusy salad is what I threw together at the last minute as my offering to the table, and I thought that it turned out pretty tasty!  Oranges are back in season again, and they come together nicely with fresh ginger, golden onions, and a sprinkling of crispy bacon to create a fragrant kale dish that is both a little sweet and a little savory.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large bunch of kale

2 tbsp virgin coconut oil

1/3 cup thinly sliced yellow or white onion (shallots would work well too)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (you can also use mandarins or clementines)

1 tsp orange zest

2 1/2 tsp crushed ginger

1/4 cup chopped crispy bacon

sea salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Start off by cooking your bacon.  I already had some chopped bacon leftover from our Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, so I just threw that into my mix.  If you are starting from scratch, you'll need about 3 strips of bacon.  After the bacon is cooked, cooled, and chopped, prepare your kale by first washing it, then remove the tough stems from each stalk and roughly chop the leaves. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the onions to the pan.  Add a pinch of of salt to the onions, then saute until they are lightly browned.

Place the kale in the skillet, and drizzle another tablespoon of coconut oil and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the top.

It'll seem cumbersome in the skillet at first, but as the kale starts to wilt down, it'll get easier to stir.  Add in the fresh orange juice, orange zest, crushed ginger, and chopped bacon and give it a good stir. Once everything is incorporated and the kale is just wilted, remove it from the heat and do a taste test.  You can add more salt and even more orange juice or ginger to your liking.

I hope you enjoy this warming, wintery dish!